A local resident rides a bike near destroyed houses in the village of Arkhanhelske, Kherson region, Ukraine Nov 8, 2022. [Photo/Agencies]

Given the key geopolitical trends and challenges, the world will experience a year of unpredictability and uncertainties in 2023 when global powers shift in an increasingly fragmented international system, and rising geopolitical tensions and global economic volatility are keeping the world in an unstable state, said Maleeha Lodhi, Pakistan's former ambassador to the US, UK and UN, in an article published in Pakistani newspaper Dawn on Dec 12, 2022.

Actually, unpredictability is seen as the "new normal"in most annual assessments of key global trends in the year ahead by international think tanks, investment firms and others.

The Economist's "The World Ahead 2023" report was quoted as describing the world today as being "much more unstable, convulsed by the vicissitudes of great-power rivalry, the aftershocks of the pandemic, economic upheaval, extreme weather, and rapid social and technological change".

According to the article, the major geopolitical risk that will dominate the coming year is intensifying US-China competition and its ramifications for global geopolitics and economy. Despite China and the US leaders promising to de-escalate tensions in their first in-person meeting in November, the fundamental differences on the contentious issues that divide them remain.

Besides, the course of the Ukraine war is another key area to observe in the coming year, it said. The annual Strategic Survey by the London-based International Institute of Strategic Studies said the Ukraine conflict has political and economic consequences that are reshaping the global landscape. The "war is redefining Western security, may change Russia profoundly, and is influencing perceptions and calculations globally".

Apart from the political ramifications, the economic fallout unleashed by the conflict is massive. "Its disruptive impact has thrown global supply chains and commodity and energy markets into chaos, with volatility contributing to recessionary pressures in major economies and beyond."

The world will witness geopolitical tensions, economic volatility and multiple other challenges including climate change in the coming year that will test the resilience of nations as well as the international community's ability to take collective action on shared problems, the article concluded.